The Gender Gap Revisited

Of all the specters haunting the electoral dreams of the Republican Party in the 1980s, none has been more horrific than “the gender gap”—the margin by which the distaff members of the body politic are said to favor the candidates and programs of the Democrats.

We have been bombarded with information on this topic in recent months, with constant emphasis on polling data that show George Bush to be competitive with Governor Michael Dukakis among male voters, but trailing badly with women. Concerns about that shortfall have led to Bush’s stress on child care, the environment, and other so-called Women’s Issues, and also, according to the political sages, his choice of telegenic Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running-mate.

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M. Stanton Evans

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Equal Rights Amendment

Presidential Election

Of all the specters haunting the electoral dreams of the Republican Party in the 1980s, none has been more horrific than “the gender gap”—the margin by which the distaff members of the body politic are said to favor the candidates and programs of the Democrats.

We have been bombarded with information on this topic in recent months, with constant emphasis on polling data that show George Bush to be competitive with Governor Michael Dukakis among male voters, but trailing badly with women. Concerns about that shortfall have led to Bush’s stress on child care, the environment, and other so-called Women’s Issues, and also, according to the political sages, his choice of telegenic Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running-mate.